11 May You Should Apply for a Youth Grant: Here’s Why
Youth in Calgary have great ideas for building community, but even simple ideas need support. Securing funding support can be a hurdle for anyone, especially at the beginning. What if there was an easy way to get money for your great idea? Spoiler alert – THERE IS! The Calgary Youth Foundation (CYF) is a program at Youth Central that supports youth driven and community based projects with funding. Basically, we help youth make a difference by connecting them to their city through philanthropy.
- Do you have an idea for a project that will help youth?
- Are you between the ages of 12-18?
- Do you live in Calgary or super close to it?
If you answered yes to the questions above, then you are eligible for a CYF grant! Still not convinced? Then take a minute and read on to see how Sayan Saha and his group benefited from a CYF grant. 
Sayan is part of a youth group called Case for Space, who recently received a macrogrant for Astronomy in the Park events for youth in Calgary. The goal was to bring free astronomy events directly into communities to make the night sky accessible to everyone. “We noticed that existing astronomy events often required people to drive long distances at night, which made it difficult for youth to participate,” said Sayan. “Receiving a grant from the CYF allowed us to upgrade our equipment, making our events more enjoyable for participants. Without it, we would not have been able to reach as many people as we did.
Case for Space held three successful events that positively impacted 270 participants. They were proud to report that 25% of those who attended their first event also showed up to the second. But more importantly, he shared, “we know that they developed a lasting sense of curiosity for the night sky. Some youth even reached out to us afterwards asking about ways they could continue to grow their newfound interest in astronomy!”
CYF grants don’t just help youth bring their ideas to life, they also help them learn through experience. “From this project we learned the importance of organizing events which adapt to the needs of people instead of following a rigid schedule. Going into the first astronomy night, we had a schedule of activities planned out, but we quickly discovered that attendees had many questions of their own which didn’t necessarily align with what we had planned. By letting the attendees guide the event, we were able to make it much more engaging for them, and it also reduced the stress on us because we were able to let the conversation flow more naturally.” – Sayan Saha.
For youth considering applying, Sayan says to “make sure you communicate why you are passionate about the problem that you are trying to solve. Your passion is what will make your application stand out!” Visit www.youthcentral.com/cyf for more information on our youth grant streams and to apply online.